Like creatures of myth
by OtterAndTerrier
Summary: [COMPLETE] A few years after the Battle of Endor, Han and Leia, now married, face a different type of challenge - hosting their own All Hallows' Eve party.


**A/N:** I posted this on Tumblr for Halloween for the prompt "Han and Leia dress up as Hades and Persephone". This is SO cheesy, like read-it-if-you're-feeling-really-sad kind of cheesy, but I enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoy reading it :) Leave a comment if you liked it, please?

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Han hadn't seen Leia looking this distressed in a long time. She was pacing up and down their home, braiding and re-braiding her hair, muttering to herself. Every once in a while, she'd jump up, start asking something out loud, then shake her head and continue to fiddle with the decoration, or she'd check her datapad for the thousandth time.

He was feeling a bit antsy himself, if he was honest. He kept pulling out bottles and putting them back, opening and closing cupboards, wondering if they'd done enough. Who in their right mind thought they were qualified to pull something like this off? Clearly, they weren't, or they would have started planning sooner than a couple of days earlier.

It was too late for regrets. They would all be here any minute now.

Maybe it wouldn't be that bad.

The bell rang, making both Han and Leia freeze in their tracks.

'Can you take that?' Leia asked, hands sunk in her now-unbound hair.

''kay, but you wrap that up, will you, sweetheart?' he said, pointing a finger at her before turning on his heel and walking down the foyer. Han grabbed the bowl that waited on the small table and exhaled loudly before opening the door.

'Trick or treat!' a chorus of children sang at him.

'Hey guys,' he said, grinning as he dropped a couple of sweets into each of their bags. They were between six and ten years old, with one guardian teenager towering over them, dressed as ghouls, Nightsisters, demons, and even an undead Stormtrooper. He recognized some of them as neighbours in their apartment building. 'Cool costumes.'

Muffled behind masks and fangs, all the voices excitedly said, 'Thank you, sir!' save for one who ended with 'Mr. Solo!'

Han bit back laughter.

'You're welcome,' he said, giving them a little wave before closing the door. He was sure that had been the last group of the day.

'Will you get ready now?' Leia asked him, hands on hips, as soon as he stepped into the living room. Her hair was finally in a single, thick braid, a crown of flowers and ferns resting atop her head. She wore a draped white dress with strappy sandals, and her arms sparkled with wide, golden bracelets.

'You're gorgeous,' Han told her, walking up to her and putting his arms around her waist.

'And I still need to do your make-up,' she answered, standing on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss, careful not to ruin her lipstick.

He sighed, but let himself be dragged by the hand to their bedroom.

'Now, don't pout,' she said as he sat down. 'You're the one who brought up this couple costume idea.'

'Uh-huh, didn't think it involved make-up.'

She squeezed a heap of really pale foundation onto a sponge and started dabbing his face with it.

'How else are you going to look deadly, my love?'

Han tried to reply but she pressed the sponge over his lips, smirking.

Then she brought out the black eyeliner and shadow.

'Oh boy,' Han muttered.

Afterward, standing in front of the full-body mirror, he couldn't help but appreciate her work. He was wearing black trousers and a black draped tunic that had little plastic skulls sewn onto it. Leia had painted ghastly black circles around his eyes, which made a striking contrast with his whitened skin.

His wife came around him now and reached out to place a black crown on top of his carefully tousled hair. He nudged it with a finger so that it tilted to a side.

Leia rolled her eyes but stood next to him, facing the mirror.

'What do you think?'

'We clean up well,' Han told her.

'I'd say so, too.'

He bent his head to kiss her neck but she pulled away.

'Nuh-uh, none of that now. Our guests are about to be here.'

There was the anxious look on her face again as she looked up to him. 'Do you really think we're ready?'

'Yes, Leia, I think we're ready for an All Hallows' Eve party with the Rogues.'

'It's not just the Rogues, there's a lot more people—'

'I know, I know. Still. Think we got this. Time to relax.'

Leia tilted her head back against his chest and let out a breath. He was about to suggest that they sat down to wait when the bell rang again.

'They're here!' Leia said, jumping out of his arms and hurrying out of the room.

She waited for him before opening the door to Luke, Chewie, Malla and Lando.

'Hey!' Luke greeted them, his body and face partially wrapped with bandages. 'What are you two dressed as?'

'He's Hades, God of the Underworld, and I'm Persephone, Goddess of spring,' Leia explained. 'They're from an old Corellian myth.'

'Who knew you'd look as bad with make-up as you do without?' Lando said to Han, patting his arm in passing. He was in vampire garb, a good excuse to wear one of his fabulous capes. Then, to Leia, 'Ma'am, as breathtaking as usual.'

More of their friends arrived soon after that. Leia's aides and some of her fellow senators, Han's ship crew, many of their former rebel friends. They were pleasantly surprised at the fact that a lot of them had travelled to Chandrila specifically for their party, like a sort of reunion.

'… so the story says that Hades and Persephone fell in love, but they couldn't be together because it would upset the balance of the world,' Leia was explaining to Norra Wexley. 'One day, Persephone asks him to take her to the Underworld anyway. Since she's the Goddess of spring, with her gone nature wilts away, unable to produce. The other gods press Hades into releasing her—'

'No, she has a mother-Goddess, she's the one who makes Hades give back her daughter,' Wedge said.

'Fine, whatever.' Leia waved him off. 'They think of a solution together: before releasing her, Hades gives her some enchanted pomegranate—

'—apple,' said Wedge. 'The version my granny told said it was an apple.'

'Why don't _you_ tell the story, then?' Leia asked with an annoyed huff. 'I swear, you Corellians—'

'What about Corellians now?' Han placed a hand over her shoulder, thumb stroking affectionately.

'I was just telling the story of our costumes, but Wedge here seems to know better.'

'Go on,' Wedge told her with a nod of his chin, smirking.

'Fine. Well, Persephone eats it, and so she's forced to return to the Underworld for half the year to spend it with Hades. So that's, you know, that's the explanation for winter.'

'That's very romantic,' Norra said with an amused smile. 'Kinda cheesy, even.'

'Yeah, but in other versions Hades actually kidnaps and rapes her, so Persephone doesn't have much of a choice. Develops a bit of a captor's attachment syndrome,' Wedge added.

Leia rolled her eyes at him.

'Not in this story, flyboy,' Han told him, wrapping an arm around Leia.

It was silly, Han decided, that planning a party at their house had been Leia's and his source of worry for the past few days. Silly, yet wonderful.

As Norra and Wedge wandered off, Leia turned to face Han and placed a hand on his cheek, a smile lighting up her eyes.

'Having fun?' she asked.

'Loads. I'm glad we did this, Princess.'

'That's Goddess to you,' Leia told him with a wink, drawing him down for a long kiss.


End file.
